Twenty-four little French dinners and how to cook and serve them

Preface

The Little Dinners of Paris are worldfamous. No one can have sojourned in the fascinating capital in its normal days without having come under their spell. To Parisien and visitor alike they are accounted among the uniquely characteristic features of the city's routine life.

Much of the interest that attaches to them is, of course, due to local atmosphere, to the associations that surround the quaint restaurants, half hidden in unexpected nooks and by-ways, to the fact that old Jacques "waits" in his shirtsleeves or that Grosse Marie serves you with a smile as expansive as her own proportions, or that it is Justin or Frangois or "Old Monsoor," with his eternal grouch, who glides about the zinc counter.

But there is also magic in the arrangement of the menus, in the combinations vi PREFACE

of food, in the very names of the confections and in the little Gallic touches that, simple though they are, transform commonplace dishes into gastronomic delights.

There is inspiration in the art that enters into the production of a French dinner, in the perfect balance of every item from hors d'ceuvre to cafe* noir, in the ways with seasoning that work miracles with left-overs and preserve the daily routine of three meals a day from the deadly monotony of the American regime, in the garnishings that glorify the most insignificant concoctions into objects of appetising beauty and in the sauces that elevate indifferent dishes into the realm of creations and enable a French cook to turn out a dinner fit for capricious young gods from what an American cook wastes in preparing one.

The very economy of the French is an art, and there is art in their economy. It is true that their dishes, as we have known them in this country, are expen-

PREFACE vii

sive, even extravagant, but that is because they have been for the most part the creations of high-priced chefs. They who have made eating an avocation know that it is not necessary to dine expensively in order to dine well.

C. M.

New York, May, 1919.

Contents

PAGE

Preface v

The Bugbear of American Cookery — Monotony 1

II Menu

Consomme a la Napolitaine Cabillaud a la Financiere Pommes de Terre en Rubans Beignets a la Printemps Choufleur au Gratin Bavaroise au Cafe

Consomme a la Napolitaine. — Place in a saucepan with a lump of butter equal quantities of finely minced carrots, turnips, a head of lettuce and one of endive with a little chervil. Add a quart of the water in which the cauliflower in this dinner was cooked, pepper and salt, and simmer for an hour. Just before serving stir in the beaten yolk of an egg and half a pint of milk.

Cabillaud a la Financiere. — Cook a piece of cod weighing three pounds in salted water for twenty minutes, drain a place on a serving platter covered with the following sauce: Put two glasses of Madeira wine and a small piece of meat glaze in a saucepan with a pint of Spanish sauce and a gill each of essence of mushrooms and truffles. Boil till it coats the spoon.

Pommes de Terre en Rubans. — Take large, smooth, pared potatoes and cut round and round in spirals about an eighth of an inch thick. Keep covered with a damp napkin till all are cut, place in a frying basket and fry in very hot fat till a light straw color. Sprinkle freely with salt and serve immediately.

Beignets a la Printemps. — Make a sauce of two ounces of butter, four ounces of flour, a tablespoonful of brandy, a pinch of salt, sufficient water to make a creamy paste. Cook and, removing from the stove, work in the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Cut into pieces any fruit desired, dip them in the batter and fry in butter to a light golden brown. Drain well, place in a serving dish, sprinkle well with powdered sugar and serve. If the fruit is not fully ripe, parboil in syrup before using.

Choufleur au Gratin. — Soak a cauliflower in water with plenty of salt, then boil in plenty of salted water for fifteen minutes. Remove and take away all the green leaves, lay it on a flat buttered dish, previously rubbed with an onion, and pour over it a sauce made as follows: Melt an ounce and a half of butter in a saucepan, add a dessertspoonful of flour, mix and add a cup of milk. Stir till it thickens, add pepper and salt and add two or three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well and after pouring over the cauliflower sprinkle all over with breadcrumbs and place the dish in the oven till nicely browned.

Bavaroise au Cafe. — Mix the beaten yolks of two eggs with a pint of milk and a cup of very strong black coffee. Bring to a boil in a saucepan, remove from the fire and allow to get cold, stirring occasionally. Add the yolks of two more eggs beaten stiff with two ounces of sugar. Mix well and then add the stiffly beaten whites of the four eggs along with half an ounce of dissolved gelatin. Pour into a mould and turn out when set.

Ill

MENU

Filet de Sole a la Provencal Poulet Saute a l'Estragon Artichauts a la Barigoule Petit Petac Souffle Georgette

Filets des Soles a la Provencal.— Sprinkle the filets with pepper and salt and a little allspice and fry in salad oil with a finely chopped onion and a little chopped parsley. Serve with a slice of lemon on each filet.

Poulet Saute a PEstragon. — Sprinkle the pieces of a cut up raw chicken with pepper and salt and cook in a saucepan with a little oil. Make a gravy of a cupful of clear stock in which tarragon stalks have been boiled for an hour, dish up the fowl on a hot platter, pour over the sauce, straining it, and sprinkle on top tarragon leaves blanched and coarsely chopped.

Artichauts a la Barigoule. — Cut off the tops and leaves of the artichokes and boil the bottoms in plenty of slightly salted water till tender. Scoop out the fibrous interior. Grate some cooked bacon into a saucepan with a gill of fine herbs and a cupful of broth. Cook for five minutes. Put a little of this mixture in each artichoke, cover the opening with a slice of lemon and bake in a saute-pan in the oven for twenty minutes.

Petit Petac. — Peel tiny new potatoes and saute in oil till a golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Souffle Georgette. — Grate a half-dozen stale macaroons into a half-cup of brandy, add a pint of cream and two teaspoonfuls of dissolved gelatine. Whip in a dozen maraschino cherries and turn into a mould to harden. Serve with macaroons dipped into the liquid that comes around the maraschino cherries. A custard may be used in this recipe instead of the cream.

IV Menu

Potage au Riz Rougets en Papillotes Veau a la Suzette Demi tasse

Potage au Riz. — Put half a pound of well-washed rice into a saucepan with two quarts of vegetable stock and boil till tender. When the rice is cooked move the saucepan to the side of the fire and mix in a cupful of stewed tomatoes and an ounce and a half of butter. Serve with sippets of toast or croutons that have been fried in butter.

Rougets en Papillotes. — This recipe is for mullets, but any small, plump fish may be used. Make a paper case for each fish with a sheet of well-oiled notepaper and put the cases into the oven for a few minutes to harden. Sprinkle the under sides of the fish with pepper and salt and lay them in their cases with a small piece of butter under and over each. Place the cases in a bakingdish and cook for about twenty minutes in the oven, or more if the fish are otherwise than small. Sprinkle well with lemon juice just before serving.

Veau a la Suzette. — Trim saddle of veal neatly and put it into a saucepan with a good sized piece of butter. Turn it constantly on the fire till it is a rich golden color all over, then put it onto a dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add more butter to the gravy in the saucepan and put in raw potatoes cut up in sections like oranges. Cover the saucepan and cook, shaking frequently, till the potatoes have a good color. Add an onion, finely minced, and when it is browned, a clove of garlic, minced very fine; next put in a tablespoonful of flour followed, when the flour is brown, by about two cupfuls of stock. Stir well and put back the meat and any juice that may have oozed from it.

Lastly add a bouquet of herbs, simmer for an hour at least and serve the meat surrounded by the potatoes with the sauce poured over the whole.

MENU

Potage a l'Americaine

Filet d'Eglefin

Gigot de Mouton aux Epinards

Chou de Mer au Fromage

Petites Cremes au Chocolat

Potage a l'Americaine. — Parboil a medium sized cauliflower in salted water, change the water and boil till done. Drain well and press through a sieve. Dilute with consomme or broth. Boil a few minutes more, stirring well. Beat up in a basin the yolk of an egg with three tablespoonfuls of cream, add this to a few tablespoonfuls of the cauliflower mixture, then, taking the saucepan containing the soup from the fire, add the egg and cream mixture and stir together. Add half an ounce of butter and serve with croutons.

Filet d'Eglefin. — Cut a haddock into fillets, trimming into pieces about six inches long. Dip them in well beaten egg and then into sifted breadcrumbs and plunge into deep, well-boiling fat, frying to a rich color, turning occasionally to cook both sides evenly. Remove, drain, put on a cloth spread over a hot dish and serve with a simple white sauce.

Gigot de Mouton aux Epinards. — Roast a small leg of mutton, putting some salt and a small quantity of water at the bottom of the tin. When half cooked, remove the meat and carefully skim the gravy of all fat. Return the mutton to the tin, pour gravy over it and surround it with potatoes cut to the size of walnuts. Put back in the oven, letting the potatoes cook in the juice of the meat. Meanwhile cook about three pounds of spinach, drain, squeeze out all water and pass through a sieve. Return to a saucepan in which about two ounces of butter has been heated and season with pepper and salt. Add a tablespoonful of gravy from the mutton and allow the spinach to simmer till the meat is done. Then pile the spinach with the potatoes about the meat and serve, having the gravy in a sauceboat.

Chou de Mer au Fromage. — Carefully wash sea-kale to remove grit, remove any black parts from the roots and tie up the shoots in small bundles. Cook in boiling salted water for twenty minutes, drain and keep hot. Mix on the fire an ounce of butter and a tablespoonful of flour, moisten with half a cup of water in which the kale was cooked, bring to a boil and mix in two or three tablespoonsfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. Take from the fire and add the beaten yolk of an egg. Arrange the kale on a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve immediately.

Petites Cremes au Chocolat. — Mix two tablespoonfuls of chocolate or cocoa in a cup of boiling milk and sweeten to taste. When nearly cold add to this the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, and a gill of heavy cream. Mix thoroughly and strain into china cases. Place these in a large shallow stewpan containing just sufficient water to reach half way up on the cases. Let steam for twenty minutes, when the custard ought to be firm. The water should be boiling when the cases are first put in, but afterwards may simmer. Put the cases on ice, and serve as cold as possible with little sponge cakts or lady fingers.

VI Menu

Potage puree de Pois Sees Saumon a la Hollandaise Pommes de Terre, Barigoule Haricots verts au riz tomate

Potage Puree de Pois Sees. — Boil a pint of green peas in three pints of water with a piece of fat ham or bacon, two carrots, an onion, a leek, a bayleaf, some parsley, pepper and salt. Allow to simmer two or three hours, stirring occasionally. Pass the peas and onions through a hair sieve and add the strained liquor. Return to the saucepan, boil up, add some whole cooked peas with a little mint and serve.

Saumon a la Hollandaise. — Cut a piece of salmon from the middle of the fish, cover in the kettle with cold water and, plenty of salt. Bring slowly to a boil, removing scum, and allow to simmer till the fish is done. Drain thoroughly and serve with the following sauce in a boat: Take three ounces of butter, the yolks of two eggs and put them in a double boiler over the fire, stirring briskly till the butter is dissolved. Mix in a scant ounce of flour, stir well and add the juice of a lemon, half a pint of milk, a little grated nutmeg and pepper and salt. Stir constantly till the sauce thickens to the consistency of a custard.

Pommes de Terre, Barigoule— Place ten potatoes in a saucepan with enough broth to cover them and boil slowly till done. Drain, taking care not to break them. Put a teacupful of olive oil into a deep frying pan, heat, put in the potatoes, tossing them till they are browned all over lightly. Place on a dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and vinegar. Serve piping hot.

Haricots verts au riz tomate. — Boil rice carefully so that every grain will be separate, toss it in a little butter and moisten with tomato sauce and add the yolk of an egg, well beaten and stirred in, and a little Parmesan cheese. Make a border of the rice on a dish and pile in the center some French beans plainly boiled and tossed in a little butter with some pepper and salt.

VII Menu

Potage Veloute Brochet a la Tartare Biftecks sautes aux Olives Pommes de Terre a la Lyonnaise fipinards au Gratin Beignets Souffles

Potage Veloute. — Boil a cup and a half of tapioca in two quarts of water and season with salt and pepper. At the bottom of a tureen place a lump of butter, and the yolks of two eggs, pour the tapioca over while it is still boiling, add a pint of hot milk and serve.

Brochet a la Tartare. — Cut a fresh pike into slices and marinade each slice separately with a sauce made of sufficient olive oil, black pepper, a minced onion, finely cut mushrooms and chopped parsley. Cover the fish with breadcrumbs and broil, brushing occasionally with the marinade. When it is a golden color remove from the fire, place on a hot platter and serve sprinkled with parsley with a tartar sauce in a sauceboat.

Biftecks sautes aux Olives. — Cut the steak into six pieces and toss in a frying pan with lard. When well done sprinkle with seasoning and remove from the fire. Then take half a glass of white wine, a tablespoonful of consomme, two or three dozen green olives, with the pits removed, and boil together for a few minutes. Set the steak in a crown on the platter and in the center place the dressing. Pour the gravy from the frying pan over all and serve.

Pommes de Terre a la Lyonnaise. — Take a dozen potatoes of the same size, cut into pieces the size of a quarter of a dollar, roll in flour and put into a frying pan with boiling fat, taking them out when they are a golden brown. Also fry some thin slices of onion, mix with the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and serve garnished with parsley.

Epinards au Gratin. — Boil two pounds of spinach and chop very fine. Beat up two eggs to each pound of spinach, mix with it and sprinkle the whole with breadcrumbs. Pour over some olive oil or melted butter and heat thoroughly in the oven in a vegetable dish.

Beignets Souffles. — Put a pound of flour, a pinch of salt, a liquor glass of rum, the yolks of three eggs and a quantity of lukewarm water into a mixing dish and beat these together till it shrinks from the dish. Then mix in the well-beaten whites of the eggs and then allow to rise for an hour or so. Have a baking dish very hot and put in the paste in pieces the size of a nut, which will triple in size while cooking. Let them cook to a golden color, remove from the fire and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve hot.

VIII Menu

Consomme* Royale Filet de Sole a la Vene*tienne Salade Barbe de Capucin Beignets de Peches

Consomme Royale. — Beat two eggs and mix them with half a cup of milk and a pinch of salt. Pour into a basin, stand this in a larger one containing hot water, place in the oven and bake till the contents of the small basin are firm, renewing water in the larger dish if necessary. Allow to cool and when set cut into small well-shaped pieces, pour over them a quart of hot consomme and serve immediately.

Filet de Sole a la Venetienne. — Place in a buttered tin two small or one large onion cut in thin slices, a little chopped parsley, a bayleaf, one or two whole cloves and salt and pepper. Lay the fillets of two soles on these with a generous piece of butter, pour over half a pint of white stock and a small glass of white wine. Cover the tin with oiled paper, and bake in the oven for about twelve minutes. When the fish is cooked take out all the liquor except just enough to keep the fish moist as it remains in the oven turned very low, strain it and add three-quarters of an ounce of flour and the same amount of butter. Bring the sauce to a boil, take it from the fire, add the yolk of an egg and a good amount of blanched parsley and chervil, chopped very fine. Arrange the fillets of sole on a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve.

Salade Barbe de Capucin. — Carefully pick over and break into convenient pieces the required amount of chicory and place in a salad bowl well rubbed with an onion. Just before serving pour over a French dressing, remembering to be in making it "a spendthrift for oil, a miser for vinegar, a counselor for salt and a madman to stir it all up."

Beignets des Peches. — Peel, stone and cut in halves some firm peaches. Toss about in a bowl with sugar, being careful not to break. Put a pound of flour in a basin and stir in gradually half a pint of water. Mix the whites of two stiffly beaten eggs with this batter and then add one and a quarter ounces of melted butter. Bring olive oil to a good heat in a frying pan, dip each piece of peach in the batter and fry in the fat. When lightly browned drain on a cloth or paper, lay on a baking dish, sift powdered sugar over and glaze by placing in a hot oven a few minutes. Arrange in pyramid shape on a folded napkin on a hot dish and serve immediately. Canned peaches, if firm, may, of course, be substituted for the fresh fruit.

IX Menu

Cotelettes de Saumon, a l'Anglaise Pommes de Terre, Marquise Petits Pois a la Paysanne Salade Americaine Choux au Chocolat

Cotelettes de Saumon, Anglaise — Divide slices of salmon into shape of cutlets, sprinkle with pepper and salt and put into a saucepan with a small amount of butter and toss over the fire. When cooked take out and drain, place on a hot dish and serve with the following sauce: Put three tablespoonfuls of veloute sauce into a saucepan, reduce slightly and add one egg, four ounces of butter, a little salt, cayenne, some finely minced parsley and the juice of half a lemon. Mix together well over the fire till the ingredients are blended and it is ready.

Pommes de Terre, Marquise. — Boil potatoes in salted water and pass through a sieve. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, chopped parsley and a little chopped thyme. Moisten with some good gravy or stock and form into small balls. Dip each in well beaten egg and fry to a light brown in butter.

Petits Pois a la Paysanne — Take fresh green peas, or canned ones if the former are not available, put over the fire in a saucepan with plenty of butter and stir frequently. Cut one or two rashers of bacon in very small dice and toss them in a saucepan over the fire. When the bacon is well fried, mix in with the peas and let the two finish cooking together, seasoning with pepper, salt and a little sugar.

Salade Americaine— Cut in rounds resembling a quarter-dollar equal quantities of new potatoes, carrots and beet root, all previously cooked. Then add a sour apple, cut in trie same shape, and a

I few anchovies cut in small pieces. Pour over this a dressing of three parts oil to one of vinegar, add pepper, salt, mustard and chopped parsley. Pile the salad up and surround with cress.

Choux au Chocolat. — Into a small saucepan put half a cup of water with two ounces of butter and one of sugar. When boiling add gradually two and a half ounces of finely sifted flour and stir till the mixture is stiff. Take from the fire, stir some more, then add two eggs, one at a time, beat the whole well, and leave to cool. Butter a baking sheet, lay the paste on it in round balls the size of a plum and bake in a moderate oven for about twenty minutes. Allow to cool and then make an incision in the side of each and fill with whipped cream slightly flavored with vanilla or with jam. Just before serving glaze each chou slightly with a chocolate icing.

X

MENU

Consomme Duchesse Saumon, Sauce Piquante Rissolettes de Bceuf Salade a la Heine Creme Noyau

Duchesse Consomme. — Boil four tablespoonfuls of rice (ground) in four cups of water for fifteen minutes, adding half a teaspoonf ul each of salt and sugar. When the rice is soft and just before serving add a quart of warmed milk, bring to a boil, adding lastly a dash of pepper and paprika.

Saumon, Sauce Piquante.— Take slices of salmon about three-quarters of an inch in thickness and place in a saucepan with hot fish broth mixed with a small quantity of wine. Allow to simmer for fifteen minutes. When cooked remove and wipe free from broth, place on a hot platter and serve with a sauce made as follows: Melt a quantity of butter, flavor to taste with tarragon vinegar, pepper, mustard, fennel and such spices as are liked. Stir over the fire till cooked, move to the side of the stove, thicken with the yolk of an egg and serve.

Rissolettes de Boeuf. — With four cups of finely minced beef mix one cup of breadcrumbs, adding one boiled onion, a little essence of anchovies, salt, pepper and a raw egg. Make into balls, roll in breadcrumbs and fry slowly. Prepare a gravy by boiling the trimmings of the meat in the water in which the onion was boiled, thicken with flour or cornstarch, add three teaspoonfuls of lemon juice and pour over the rissolettes which should be arranged on a heated platter around a heap of mashed potatoes.

Salade a la Reine. — Lay strips of endive lengthwise on the salad plates and cross them with peeled tomatoes cut in sections like an orange. Dress with a French salad dressing.

Creme Noyau. — Pound in a mortar together a quarter pound of Jordan and an ounce of bitter almonds with a scant half cup of cream and two ounces of sugar. Rub through a sieve into a bowl, add a pint of whipped cream flavored with Noyau and then an ounce of gelatine dissolved. Pour into a mould to set. Serve with champagne wafers.

XI Menu

Consomme* a la Madrilene

Perches aux Fines Herbes

Filets Mignons aux Pommes de Terre

Aubergines Farcies

Omelette au Rhum

Consomme a la Madrilene.— Put through a medium sieve five or six boiled ripe tomatoes, or a can of tomatoes, allow to cool and pack in a freezer. Add to a cold consomme and serve in cups.

Perches aux Fines Herbes. — Prepare six fresh perch and marinade them with two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, a sprig of parsley, a little pepper and salt and allspice, bayleaf and other strong spices chopped fine. Keep the fish in this for about an hour, remove and roll in breadcrumbs lightly flavored with spices. Grill over a low fire till a golden brown in color and serve with butter sauce.

Filets Mignons aux Pommes de Terre — Marinade the required number of small filets mignon of mutton in butter seasoned with salt and chervil. Leave for an hour or more and just before they are to be served, grill them, basting frequently with the butter. Flavor with lemon juice and serve with buttered fried potatoes.

Aubergines Farcies. — Cut eggplants in halves lengthwise, remove the inside and of this make a farcie by mixing it with chopped parsley, two chopped onions and salt and pepper. Stuff the eggplant halves with this mixture and put the combination into a casserole containing a good quantity of melted butter and allow to simmer over a slow fire till all is thoroughly done. Cover the tops with breadcrumbs, add a drop of oil or a little melted butter and keep piping hot till served.

Omelette au Rhum. — Prepare an omelette as for any sweet omelette and just before serving place on a hot platter, pour rum over, ignite and carry to the table blazing.

XII Menu

Potage Biz, Crecy Canapes de Saumon Fume* Paupiettes de Pore, Sauce Piquante Asperges en Petits Pois Tarte a la Turque

Potage Riz, Crecy. — Cut several firm, red carrots lengthwise, using only the red part. Place in a casserole with a good bouillon and allow to simmer over a slow fire. Pass through a sieve when the carrots are soft, and put back in the bouillon. Add a cupful of cooked rice, bring to a boil and serve.

Canapes de Saumon Fume.— Cut a smoked salmon into slices and spread them with butter, adding pepper and salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Heat over a crisp fire, place on a hot dish, cover with croutons and serve.

Paupiettes de Pore, Sauce Piquante. — Take small slices of cold roast pork and spread them with sausage meat. Roll them and fasten with skewers, then cover with a thin coating of lard or with oiled paper and cook them over a low fire in a casserole. When thoroughly done, take off the papers, cover with breadcrumbs and brown. Serve with a piquant sauce.

Asperges en Petits Pois. — Cut up the green part of two bunches of asparagus, roll in butter and add a little salt. Heat a cupful of flour, being careful not to allow it to color, and dredge the asparagus with it. Put into a saucepan with sufficient milk and water in equal parts to cover, add a bouquet of herbs and allow the whole to simmer till the asparagus is cooked. Season with white pepper and serve.

Tarte a la Turque. — Boil a cupful of rice till thick in milk to which has been added a stick of cinnamon, a little lemon juice and sugar. When the rice is cooked allow to cool. Make a border of it on a buttered plate and fill the center with a marmalade made as follows : Cut the peeled stalks of a bunch of rhubarb into dice and allow them to simmer in a small amount of water till they are of the consistency of marmalade. Add three or four teaspoonfuls of sugar, a lump of butter and the rind of a lemon. Take from the fire and immediately add the beaten yolks of two eggs. Arrange, as stated, in the middle of the rice, sprinkle with a little more sugar and set m the oven for fifteen minutes or more before serving.

XIII Menu

Potage a la Chicore*e Allumettes d'Anchois Boeuf Bouilli en Vinaigrette Pommes Maire Salade de Tomates Creme Brulee

Potage a la Chicoree. — Pick carefully and wash two or three heads of chicory, cut into shreds and pass through a little heated butter without allowing to take color. Then add sufficient of the water in which the Pommes Maire (below) were boiled to make the required quantity of soup, add pepper and salt, simmer for an hour. Just after taking from the fire add the beaten yolk of an egg. Pour into the tureen over toasted slices of stale bread.

Allumettes d'Anchois. — Make a fritter paste with flour and oil, omitting salt. Soften with white wine. Wash the desired number of anchovies, remove the bones and draw out the salt by soaking in milk. Dip into the paste and fry.

Boeuf Bouilli en Vinaigrette. — Cut cold, lean beef into narrow, thin slices. Place it in a bowl with a finely chopped onion and some chervil, a few cut-up gherkins, a teaspoonful of capers, pour oil, a little vinegar and the juice of half a lemon over, add pepper and salt, toss well together and serve at once.